GameNight: Indiana vs Notre Dame (Maui)

The Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)
will obviously not be the same team they were last year. Tom Crean steps
into a very undesirable situation, as everyone who had any impact on
Indiana’s season last year is gone. However, this will be an intriguing
matchup, if only for the fact that Notre Dame is prone to giving up a lot of
points, and the elite freshman class of the Hoosiers will see how they match
up to a marquee opponent. Tom Pritchard, a freshman, leads IU with 16 points
a game along with 10 boards. Devan Dumes is not far behind, and being a
junior, he is one of the leaders of this very young team. Indiana has a lot
of guys who are looking to find their spot in the rotation, and I think that
this could either help or hinder them against Notre Dame. If everyone
understands their role, they could prove to be a challenge for the Irish. If
they don’t function as a cohesive unit, and play for themselves, Notre Dame
should roll.

Notre Dame (2-0) is on
the outside looking in right now in the Big East (at least in terms of
winning the league). They need a good showing in Maui to prove they can hang
with the big boys, even if the big boys aren’t so big this year. Right now,
they are sitting around 4th, in my opinion, in the best conference in
college basketball. In order to stay in the upper echelon, a win here is a
must. Luke Harangody is arguably the best player in the country. He is
almost a lock for a double-double against IU. Kyle McAlarney is a knockdown
3-point shooter. Tory Jackson is a great point guard. A pass-first guy, he
has a chance to lead the nation in assists. The key for Notre Dame will be
to D up on the Hoosiers. I think they can hold Indiana well under 75, and
Notre Dame rarely scores under 75. That means a win for the Irish.

SPONSORS

About Blake Hofstad

Contactbhofstad@aim.com

Background

An avid sports fan, you can nearly always find Blake Hofstad playing, watching, writing or just talking sports. His favorite team is the Wisconsin Badgers, and he is a huge Big Ten and Missouri Valley fan. The two things he hates about college basketball are Duke and the love Duke gets from most media members. You can find more of Blake's work on Onlinesportsfanatic.com.